After the Crisis
by McGonagall's Bola
Summary: Set after Day 8. Jack has taken off to Germany to flee from the Russians. Chloe O'Brian, the only one informed of his details, exchanges the USA for Europe not long after herself, Prescott in tow. Jack/Chloe -REWRITTEN!


Chloe O'Brian eyed the heavy rainfall into the navy blue sky through the window. She smiled at her son and reached for his blanket to tuck it closer around him. She sighed. He looked so much like his father.

Morris had gone too far this time, though. She would never doubt that he loved Prescott and took care of him like any good father. Morris and she had been good for each other. That's why they had returned to one another even after so many years; after having been married and then divorced.

She sighed once more, biting down on her lip in anger. He had gone too far, though. Mid-life crisis or not, he shouldn't have gone and- and…

There was a rather odd feeling in the pit of her belly. It had somehow seemed as if he hadn't really cared about her and Prescott going. And so she was now on the plane to Frankfurt; to the man she knew would be there for her and Prescott. They would be there in about an hour.

She looked at Prescott again, who was peacefully asleep. He hadn't had much of his dad lately. She sighed. That little boy, her son, was barely five years old. Maybe that made it even harder on him. Maybe that caused the feeling within her that told her motherly intuition that he really was feeling worse than he showed. Or maybe, just maybe, it would be easier for him to adapt to different surroundings just because he was still so young.

She had loved children since forever, but given her job and everything, she wouldn't ever have thought that she would actually be one. She thought of herself to have done quite a good job as a mom… at least better than Morris had been of a dad lately… Of course it had its ups and downs, but she would never exchange anymore for a life without Prescott.

Right then, someone announced all passengers to fasten their seatbelts for landing. Chloe looked up and around herself wearily. She was surprised to hear that they were landing when last time she had checked it still would be over an hour flying. Had she been in thoughts so long, or had she miscalculated? Or maybe their plane was early for one reason or another, even though that chance wasn't big?

She turned to her right and carefully shook her son's shoulder. He quietly blinked his eyes a couple of times to focus and look up at his mother, before yawning. Chloe smiled. "They just announced that we should fasten our seatbelts. We are going to land."

"Already?" He wondered, eyes wide.

Chloe chuckled, ruffling a hand through his hair lovingly. "Yeah. Already."

* * *

Chloe's heart slammed in her throat as she looked at the cell phone. They had landed in Frankfurt for an hour. The retrieving of their bags had been very slow, with the number of people everywhere. They were sitting on a couple of benches at the airport, their luggage gathered on a trolley beside them; it was heavily overloaded. Even though they hadn't had their own furniture at their earlier rental home, Chloe had insisted on taking basically everything else. Most everything else was hers either way. She sincerely hoped that the multiple layers of paper covering the colorful little statues from her grandmother and especially the clock of her great-great-grandmother had been effective enough to get it there undamaged. She really hoped so.

She had taken most of Prescott's stuff, too. Since she had gotten custody over their son, Morris and she had determined that he would stay with her and half of every holiday with him. They hadn't made much fuss about it. Morris and she had easily come to agree.

Chloe sighed once again, looking over at her son now, who was sipping from his can of coke. He had been thirsty, and so they had gone in search of a possible vending machine after having gotten their stuff. They had found one quite soon. He had gotten his coke; Prescott was alright.

Was she, though? She unconsciously tapped her foot on the shiny beige tiles and looked at the cell in her hand again, at the name on the screen. Should she have called first, before jumping on a plane right after having been given full custody only yesterday? She couldn't say. She really couldn't. Had she been afraid that he would reject her coming? Had she not called until now for that reason, so it was harder to push them away? No, Jack would be there for her. If she ever considered someone as a true friend, it would be Jack.

She sighed, then pushed the button and lifted the phone to her ear. Two beeps was what it took before she could hear his voice on the other side. Even though she considered him as a friend and truly hoped he actually considered her as one as well, she felt nervous to be talking to him after six months of no contact. She had helped him disappear, was maybe the only one who even knew where he lived. Had it been that good of an idea to come here; hadn't she put him in danger and wasted the effort she herself had done to keep him low profile and safe?

She could hear her name on the far other end and took another deep, deep breath before replying. "Yeah, Jack… I'm in Frankfurt. Prescott and I just landed."

*Wh–*

"It is a very long story. Can it wait until later, please?"

*Sure. Would you like me to come and get you at the airport?* Jack sounded rather dumfounded and surprised.

"No, we'll just take a cab to your place if that's alright with you."

* * *

Chloe leaned in to kiss her son's forehead. He was plain exhausted. She met Jack's gaze when rising again, as he stood in the doorway. He had carried Prescott upstairs to sleep in the spare bedroom. It had been quite a trip for the five-year-old. He had fallen asleep in the cab on the way.

Chloe halfway smiled, before meeting him at the door on tiptoes not to wake her son with the sound of her heels and pulling the door slightly ajar. She followed him downstairs again, walking after him into the kitchen, as he slightly turned his head to ask if maybe she would like some coffee.

She nodded and obeyed as he kindly offered her to sit down on one of the higher chairs in the kitchen. Chloe just looked on as he continued searching for mugs. She let her eyes fall closed for just a second, she thought. By the time she, however, opened them, Jack was handing her a cup of steaming hot coffee, and eyeing her rather worriedly.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have come here. I just couldn't think of anyone else to go to, and I wanted to get away there."

* * *

Jack nodded, looking on as Chloe sighed deep after telling him what had happened after his move to Germany. He looked at her uneasily, her fingers uneasily curled around the mug in her hands; her eyes directed down at her toes. He knew Chloe. She was most likely feeling guilty about the whole situation.

Chloe was feeling guilty indeed. She so should have never trusted Morris again after having divorced him years before. She had had her reasons then, and she should have thought without jumping in things with him again. She didn't regret getting Prescott, but he should have had a more honest person as a father. That's when tears emitted from behind her half shut eyelids. She dabbed at them furiously, refusing to cry before Jack Bauer, but they were hard to stop. She failed to notice Jack getting up from his seat across her and sit down next to her. His arm came around her shoulders as he quietly pulled her close and let her cry in his chest.

Thoughts of Renee filled his mind. Thoughts of Renee hadn't left his mind in the six months after her death. He still blamed himself. His nights were filled with nightmares, about insane thoughts of maybe her surviving if he had done things otherwise.

He sighed. Sure, he had loved Teri, but she had represented another side of him. Teri had represented the more loving husband and father side. Renee had represented the hardcore, CTU side of him; the side of him that would not let go before getting what he wanted. She had represented the side of him in which he had rolled more and more after losing Teri.

Chloe represented that side, too. He knew that she had loved him for years, but he had never acted on it. Chloe had been the one most trustworthy to him until now. He would put his life in her hands. She deserved much better than him. She had come here now, seeking for solace with him. He quietly closed his eyes as the smell of her hair penetrated his nostrils. He felt a stitch of guilt as he realized that he no longer could tell how Teri's had smelled. He, however, still had the fresh vanilla-like smell of Renee's hair in his memory. It had burned itself in his head, even though the fairly short time they had known each other.

Chloe and he had known each other for years, and never had she let him down. She smelled indubitably different, but it was… nice nevertheless. Renee wouldn't have wanted this, Jack told himself. He could hear her say it in his head, on the same soft tone. Be happy, Jack.

He sighed, as the fact that once he would forget how she sounded, just like he had forgotten how Teri sounded, filled up his mind. If he believed in silly things, he might have believed that him surviving everything might have been some sign. Well, maybe… it was; maybe it just was.

His hand reached for hers and quietly held it. He could feel her head raise from his shoulder, and she looked into his eyes. Chloe deserved some happiness, too. If he could give it to her, he couldn't say. He could try, though. He could at least try. He wouldn't take advantage of her now; of her weaker periods, but he wanted to show her he was there if she needed, wanted him. Their eyes locked with another. "Everything's going to be alright with you… and Prescott."

Chloe's heart pounded in her chest as she leaned in. She kissed his lips briefly, then immediately pulled back. It was hard to say if it had really happened. "Thank you," she whispered, as a crooked smile spread over her lips. Jack imitated it. Yeah, everything was going to be alright with them, even if that was the last he would do.


End file.
